Category: American Injustice System,

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Spout Delusional Conspiracy Theories and Revel in a Complete and Utter Disregard for both Professionalism and Human Decency

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,, Media and Culture,, Race,1 Comment

Created in August 2016, the Facebook group is called “I’m 10-15” and boasts roughly 9,500 members from across the country. (10-15 is Border Patrol code for “aliens in custody.”)

…ProPublica received images of several recent discussions in the 10-15 Facebook group and was able to link the participants in those online conversations to apparently legitimate Facebook profiles belonging to Border Patrol agents, including a supervisor based in El Paso, Texas, and an agent in Eagle Pass, Texas, a small town in the Rio Grande Valley.

…The postings …reflect what “seems to be a pervasive culture of cruelty aimed at immigrants within CBP. This isn’t just a few rogue agents or ‘bad apples.’”

…Castro, a Democrat who represents San Antonio, [said,] “These are clearly agents who are desensitized to the point of being dangerous to migrants and their co-workers.”

…A staffer for Escobar [said,] “…The comments made by Border Patrol agents towards immigrants …are disgusting and show a complete disregard for human life and dignity.”

…The member asked if the photo could have been faked because the bodies were so “clean.” (The picture was taken by an Associated Press photographer, and there is no indication that it was staged or manipulated.) “I HAVE NEVER SEEN FLOATERS LIKE THIS,” the [delusional] person wrote, adding, “could this be another edited photo. We’ve all seen the dems and liberal parties do some pretty sick things…”

…The Border Patrol Facebook group is the most recent example of some law enforcement personnel behaving badly in public and private digital spaces. An investigation by Reveal uncovered hundreds of active-duty and retired law enforcement officers who moved in extremist Facebook circles, including white supremacist and anti-government groups. A team of researchers calling themselves the Plain View Project recently released a hefty database of offensive Facebook posts made by current and ex-law enforcement officers.

And in early 2018, federal investigators found a raft of disturbing and racist text messages sent by Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona after searching the phone of Matthew Bowen, an agent charged with running down a Guatemalan migrant with a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The texts, which were revealed in a court filing in federal court in Tucson, described migrants as “guats,” “wild ass shitbags,” “beaners” and “subhuman.” The messages included repeated discussions about burning the migrants up.

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes

Composed of both active and retired border personnel yes, but it is still staggering that the number of members in the group are roughly equivalent to the number of people employed by the Border Patrol.

Wonder who created and runs the group….

US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli shirks responsibility and refuses to accept acknowledge any fault in the drowning death of a man and his daughter at the border

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

Tania Vanessa Ávalos, Oscar’s wife and Angie Valeria’s mother, told the Mexican newspaper La Jornada that her family had grown increasingly desperate. Temperatures reached over 110 degrees at the migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico, where the family had been waiting to present themselves at a US port of entry and seek asylum, she said.

At the end of May, more than 2,000 migrants were waiting “in conditions of hunger and overcrowding” there to seek asylum at ports where, according to La Jornada, US agents granted an average of three appointments per week.

…The Trump administration’s policy, called “metering,” has led to longer wait times. …Customs and Border Protection has said it doesn’t know how many migrants have been turned away as a result of metering.

Ken Cuccinelli blames drowned man in border photograph for own, daughter’s deaths – CNNPolitics

Fucking immoral monster

In Their Own Words, Migrant Children Describe Horrific Conditions At Border Patrol Facilities

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Modern Parenting,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

A 16-year-old mother sleeps with her baby on a cement floor. A 12-year-old wakes up in the middle of the night from hunger. A 5-year-old is sick and has no socks. An 11-year-old cries in a cell, and is only let outside for a few minutes each day.

… They provide a horrifying portrait of life in detention, where toddlers and children sleep on concrete under bright lights and are not properly fed, allowed to bathe or brush their teeth.

…On Wednesday, the lawyers involved in the Flores settlement, an agreement that outlines child welfare standards in detention, filed a temporary restraining order in federal court. It would force the government to allow the facilities to be inspected by public health professionals and staffed by medical professionals.

“The immigration agents separated me from my father right away. I was very frightened and scared. I cried. I have not seen my father again.

I have been at this facility for several days. I have not been told how long I have to stay here. I am frightened, scared, and sad.

I have had a cold and cough for several days. I have not seen a doctor and I have not been given any medicine. It is cold at night when we sleep. I have shoes but no socks.” ― A 5-year-old from Honduras

“Two hours after we crossed, we met Border Patrol and they took us to a very cold house. They took away our baby’s diapers, baby formula, and all of our belongings.

After that they took us to a place with a tent. Up until this point, our family was kept together, but here they took our daughter and me out of the cell and separated my fiancé from us. Our [one-year-old] baby was crying. We asked the guards why they were taking our family apart and they yelled at us.

After that we stayed in a room with 45 other children. There was no mat so my baby and I slept directly on the cement.

I have been in the U.S. for six days and I have never been offered a shower or been able to brush my teeth. There is no soap here and out clothes are dirty. They have never been washed. My daughter is sick and so am I.”  ― A 16-year-old mother from El Salvador

“The guards were mean and scary. They yelled at us. One day the guards wanted to know if anyone had snuck food in the cell. They found one kid who was about 15 or 16 years old who had a burrito, pudding, and juice. The officials handcuffed his wrists.

>I’m so hungry that I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with hunger. I’m too scared to ask the officials here for any more food, even though there is not enough food here for me. In the morning we get oatmeal, pudding, and juice. In the afternoon we get soup, a cookie, and juice. For dinner we get a burrito, pudding and juice.

I saw a child ask for more food once and the guard told him ‘No, you’ve had your ration.’ Sometimes the younger kids get an extra chocolate pudding. I need more food too.” –― A 12-year-old from Guatemala

“The officers took everything from us except our documents. They even took our shoelaces. There was a mother in our group traveling with a very young baby. The officers took her diapers, baby formula, and nearly everything else she had and threw it away.

The water here is horrible. It tastes like chlorine. We can use cups to drink the water. But the water tastes awful and I don’t like it at all. None of the kids here like the water.

The officials here are very bad to us. During the night when we’re trying to sleep they come in and wake us up, yelling and scaring us. Sometimes children rise up in the night and officials yell at them to lay back down. The guards who are yelling don’t speak much Spanish, so it’s hard to understand what they’re saying. My sisters and I are very scared when they yell at us and other children.

Every night my sisters keep asking me, ‘When will our mommy come to get us?’ I don’t know what to tell them. It’s very hard for all of us to be here.” – A 12-year-old from Ecuador

“A Border Patrol agent came in our room with a two-year-old boy and asked us, ‘Who wants to take care of this little boy?’ Another girl said she would take care of him, but she lost interest after a few hours so I started taking care of him yesterday. His bracelet says he is two years old.

I feed the 2-year-old boy, change his diaper, and play with him. He is sick. He has a cough and a runny nose and scabs on his lips. He was coughing last night so I asked to take him to see the doctor and they told me that the doctor would come to our room, but the doctor never came. The little boy that I am taking care of never speaks. He likes for me to hold him as much as possible.

Since arriving here, I have never been outside and never taken a shower.” – A 15-year-old from El Salvador

“We were put into a three sided cage with the fourth side open to the outside filled with loads of people. We had to wait for someone to stand up and quickly take their place on the ground.

My [8-month-old] baby was naked outside with no blanket for all four days we were there. We were freezing. My baby couldn’t sleep because the ground was cement with rocks and everytime she moved the sharp ground would scratch her. There were many pregnant women who had to sleep on rocks and I felt very badly for them.

My baby began vomiting and having diarrhea. I asked to see a doctor and they did not take us. I asked again the next day and the guard said ‘She doesn’t have the face of a sick baby. She doesn’t need to see a doctor.’

Since we arrived here my baby has lost a lot of weight. Her pants are very loose now. She is not sleeping because she is sick, and it is very loud. She cries a lot and is listless.”  ― A 16-year-old mother from Honduras

“We are being held in a cold cell. We sleep on the floor on mats with blankets. I have only been permitted to take a shower twice in the almost two weeks we’ve been here. We’ve been allowed to brush our teeth once.

About three days ago I got a fever. They moved me alone to a flu cell. There is no one to take care of you there. They just give you pills twice a day. I also am having an allergic reaction all over my skin. My skin is itchy and red and my nose is stuffed up. Two times they gave me a pill for it but not anymore.

They let us out of our cell twice a day for a few minutes but other than that we just sit there. We cry a lot and the other kids in the cell also cry. It’s so ugly to be locked up all the time.” – An 11-year-old from El Salvador

 

“I started taking care of a [little girl] in the Ice Box after they separated her from her father. I did not know either of them before that. She was very upset. The workers did nothing to try to comfort her. I tried to comfort her and she has been with me ever since.

>She sleeps on a mat with me on the concrete floor. We spend all day every day in that room. There are no activities, only crying. We eat in the same area. We can only go outside to go to the bathroom. We don’t have any opportunities to go outside to do activities or anything. There is nothing to do. None of the adults take care of us so we try to take care of each other.” ― A 15-year-old who didn’t specify their country of origin

In Their Own Words, Migrant Children Describe Horrific Conditions At Border Patrol Facilities | HuffPost

Jeezus Fricking Krrreyest

Body Camera Manufacturer Will Not Use Facial Recognition Software

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Media and Culture,, Privacy,, Race,Leave a comment

The technology left certain groups vulnerable, Friedman said. It was less accurate in identifying the faces of women than men, and younger people compared to older ones. The same was true in people of color, who were harder to correctly identify than white people.

The board also cited privacy concerns which have long been raised by activists. “Even if face recognition works accurately and equitably—and we stress in detail that at present it does not—the technology makes it far easier for government entities to surveil citizens and potentially intrude into their lives,” the report said.

Body Camera Manufacturer Will Not Use Facial Recognition Software : NPR

hmmm

Illinois is going to expunge marijuana convictions from 800,000 criminal records

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Drugs & Drink,Leave a comment

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker just signed HB 1438 this week, which makes cannabis legal in the state for individuals 21 and over, along with sweeping criminal criminal justice reforms designed to help those whose lives have been upended by the state’s drug laws.

In addition to legalizing marijuana, the 610-page bill offers relief to the roughly 770,000 residents of the state with marijuana-related offenses on their criminal records.

…The state’s new Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which takes effect in 2020, allows people to automatically receive clemency for convictions up to 30 grams of cannabis. Those convicted with larger amounts, from 30-500 grams can petition a court to have the charge lifted.

The bill defines expunge to mean to “physically destroy the records or return them to the petitioner and to obliterate the petitioner’s name from any official index or public record, or both.” But it doesn’t require the physical destruction of circuit court files.

Illinois is going to expunge marijuana convictions from 800,000 criminal records – CNN

hmmmm

Hundreds confronted Phoenix officials at a meeting about police abuse. The chief vowed said change starts with the community (ouch!)

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Local Interest,, Race,Leave a comment

At least 500 people asked to stand and speak before the [police] chief, Mayor Kate Gallego and other city and police leaders.

…Residents stood behind the microphones for nearly three hours, some recalling instances during which they said family members were injured or killed by police officers and the police department would not provide answers.

Residents said they weren’t able to get their hands on police reports, while others said they found out about the death of family members through media first.

“We’re here for a lack of trust, a lack of transparency and a lack of accountability, that is the reason why the community has showed up,” one resident said.

…The couple, who spoke at the meeting before walking out, was joined by a handful of other families who say they’ve experienced police brutality by Phoenix police officers.

…A National Police Foundation analysis released in April found a “significant and alarming increase” in officer-involved shootings by the Phoenix Police Department in 2018. There were 44 that year, more than double the number in the preceding year, the report found.

Hundreds confronted Phoenix officials at a meeting about police abuse. The chief vowed change – CNN

Vowed what? Are you sure CNN? Because she says they’ll listen but she also shirks responsibility and refuses to acknowledge wrongdoing by her department when she says change is the community’s responsibility.

Wouldn’t expect much out of someone who redirects the blame like that.

Dravon Ames & Iesha Harper: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Race,Leave a comment

What has not previously been reported is that Harper says in addition to being assaulted and told she was lucky she and her children were not shot, she had her body searched by a male police officer, which is a violation of Phoenix police department policy.

….“Clearly, excessive force was used. Clearly, policies and procedure were not followed. Clearly, body cameras were not being utilized. Clearly, the officers felt empowered to be disrespectful and abusive,” Maupin said. “What we demand to know is, what kind of background these officers have? They held toddlers and a pregnant woman at gunpoint, grabbed a mother and infant by the neck, dislocated a 1-year-old’s arm, endangered a delicate pregnancy, terrorized and tortured a young father, and nobody was charged or jailed. These officers must be held accountable.”

Dravon Ames & Iesha Harper: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

hmmm

Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Father of 3 by Sheriff’s Deputies in Willowbrook Draws Outrage

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,Leave a comment

“The police opened the door, and said he had a gun and just started shooting. Never asked him his name — nothing. Just started shooting,” said one witness, who would not give his name.

Another witness, who also wished to speak anonymously, said deputies said little before they started shooting: “One officer goes up to the door, starts firing, never identified himself as the police … still unloading on the car 30 rounds.”

…Two other men were also fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies the same night.

Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Father of 3 by Sheriff’s Deputies in Willowbrook Draws Outrage | KTLA

hmmmm

Men Cause 100% of Unwanted Pregnancies

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,Leave a comment

I argue that all unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. All of them.

…On average, women are fertile for about 24 days per year.

But men are fertile 365 days a year. In fact, if you’re a man who ejaculates multiple times a day, you could cause multiple pregnancies daily. In theory, a man could cause 1000+ unwanted pregnancies in just one year.

…Modern birth control for women is possibly the most important invention of the last century, and I’m very grateful for it. It’s also brutal. The side effects for many women include migraines, mood swings, decreased libido, depression, severe cramps, heavy bleeding, aneurysm — and that’s just a small fraction of them.

Discouragingly, a promising study on a new male contraceptive was canceled in large part due to… (wait for it)… side effects.  …I’ll simply point out that, as a society, we really don’t mind if women suffer, physically or mentally, as long as it makes things easier for men.

…In contrast, let’s look at birth control for men — i.e., condoms. They’re readily available at all hours, inexpensive, convenient, and don’t require a prescription. They’re effective and work on demand, instantly. They don’t cause aneurysms, mood swings, or debilitating cramps. Men can keep them stocked up just in case, so they’re always prepared. They can be easily used at the last minute. I mean, condoms are magic! So much easier than birth control options for women.

As a bonus, most women are totally on board with condoms. They keep us from getting STDs. They don’t lessen our pleasure during sex or prevent us from climaxing. The best part? Cleanup is so much easier .

…Why would men want to have sex without a condom? Because, for the precious minutes when they’re penetrating their partner, not wearing a condom gives them more pleasure. So… that would mean some men are willing to risk getting a woman pregnant — which means literally risking her life, her health, her social status, her relationships, and her career — so they can experience a few minutes of slightly increased pleasure.

…As a general rule, men get women pregnant by having an orgasm. Yes, there are exceptions — it’s possible for sperm to show up in pre-ejaculate — but in most cases, getting a woman pregnant is a pleasurable act for men. 

…In contrast, a woman can have nonstop orgasms with or without a partner and never once get herself pregnant. A woman’s orgasm has literally nothing to do with pregnancy or fertility — her clitoris exists simply for pleasure, not for creating new humans. No matter how many orgasms she has, they won’t make her pregnant.

…Pregnancies happen when men have an orgasm. Unwanted pregnancies happen when men orgasm irresponsibly.

…If we’re discussing abortion law — and not how to hold men accountable for irresponsible ejaculations, and the unwanted pregnancies caused by them — we’re wasting our time. …If you actually care about reducing or eliminating the number of abortions in our country, simply hold men accountable for their actions.

…If you’re a man, what would it take for you to never again ejaculate irresponsibly? A loss of money, rights, or freedoms? Physical pain? Ask yourselves: What would it take for you to value the life of your sexual partner more than your own temporary pleasure or convenience?

…To reduce or eliminate abortions, stop attempting to control women’s bodies and sexuality. Because unwanted pregnancies are caused by men.

Men Cause 100% of Unwanted Pregnancies – Human Parts

Dang. Well argued.

Phoenix chief says police response to incident with 4-year-old is ‘unacceptable’

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Local Interest,, Race,Leave a comment

 

“unacceptable.”

“Isn’t in keeping with good policing.”

“This is not what should have happened in that circumstance.”

…Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego issued a statement on Twitter Saturday saying, “I, like many others, am sick over what I have seen in the video” and “I am deeply sorry for what this family went through.”

The mayor vowed to speed up implementation of body cameras on police officers and hold a community meeting to address the incident. “I realize that to get to the bottom of this issue and implement meaningful change, we are going to have some uncomfortable and painful conversations,” Gallego said.

Phoenix chief says police response to incident with 4-year-old is ‘unacceptable’

hmmm

Memphis protesters hurl bricks and rocks at police in outrage over a man’s death

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Local Interest,, Race,Leave a comment

What started as a protest over the death of a Memphis man devolved into chaos after demonstrators threw bricks at police and vandalized squad cars, officials said.

At least 36 officers and deputies were injured in the melee Wednesday night, police said Thursday. All those hospitalized have been released. Three people have been charged with disorderly conduct and one of them also with inciting a riot.

“For some reason, they turned their anger toward the Memphis Police Department.”

Memphis protesters hurl bricks and rocks at police, injuring 36 officers in outrage over a man’s death – CNN

“Some reason,” indeed.

The article attempts to make it sound like the officers just stood there and peacibly allowed protestors to throw things at them. I find that hard to believe.

36 officers and deputies, how many civilians were injured?

We still don’t know the full story about the ballots destroyed in Broward County

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

I had concerns, as did others, and as a result, I asked to inspect the ballots cast. Election officials refused my several requests to see the ballots, and after months of delay, we filed a lawsuit under Florida’s public-records laws. Three months later, Broward County election officials simply destroyed all of the thousands of ballots cast in my race. The Circuit Court subsequently ruled in my favor and found that the ballot destruction violated state law, Florida administrative regulations and federal law.

The destruction of those ballots was a federal crime, and the destruction of public records during a public-records lawsuit is a crime under state law. Yet, not one state or federal law-enforcement agency has conducted any investigation into Broward’s illegal destruction of the ballots cast in my election.

…Now we have learned that two Florida county election offices apparently were hacked, but federal officials insist on making any information concerning the hack top secret. One important defense against a cyber-attack is paper ballots — so that an audit can take place to verify the results. Given the hacking incident and the surrounding secrecy, it is even more imperative that the paper ballots themselves are maintained according to state and federal law.

The public should be able to see the basis for the claim that hackings did not alter the results of any elections in Florida in 2016. At this point, it is unclear which law-enforcement agency is even making such a claim. 

…Federal and state officials are now spending a lot of money in cyber-security grants to the software vendors that run the electronic machines. But such additional spending will not reduce the inherent vulnerability of our electronic election systems — from the voter registration rolls that enable targeted and mass electronic purging of voters, to the electronic scanners that count the ballots at the local voting precincts.

…“If the software is tampered with, what do you think is going to happen if you rescan the ballots? You’ll get the same answer back,” Sancho said. “The presumption that the voting machine is already correct is a silly presumption to begin with. It guarantees you won’t find the problem, if there is one.”

We still don’t know the full story about the ballots destroyed in Broward County | Opinion | Miami Herald

What tha… fa…..

F’ing Florida.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Whistleblower doctors decry immigrant family detention

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Modern Parenting,, Race,Leave a comment

“Detention of innocent children should never occur in a civilized society, especially if there are less restrictive options, because the risk of harm to children simply cannot be justified,” they wrote.

…”Each passing day of continued detention of children — and no acknowledgment of the risk that we have reported — alarms me even more,” Allen told CNN in a recent interview.

…Allen and McPherson say they documented their concerns numerous times in reports filed with the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration, and felt like the people in power were listening. But they say two things prompted them to speak more publicly about the matter after Trump took office: the spike in family separations at the border and moves to increase family detention rather than scale it back.

  • Significant weight loss in children that went largely unnoticed by the facility medical staff, including a 16-month-old baby who lost nearly a third of his body weight over 10 days during a diarrheal disease but was never given IV fluids or sent to an emergency room.
  • A 27-day-old baby who had a seizure from bleeding inside his skull that was missed by the facility on arrival.
  • Numerous children who suffered severe finger injuries while confined in a facility that was designed as a medium-security prison for adults.

“This is not a story about people in these facilities not caring about children. … It is about good people trying to keep children safe in an environment that’s very dangerous to them by design, if not intent. And they’ve been asked to execute deeply flawed and I would even say mean-spirited policies, and to do so in such a way that minimizes harms to children,” Allen says. “It’s an impossible task.”

“Even if you could pour money and resources into properly staffing these facilities and giving them programming,” Allen says, “the simple act of detaining and indefinite detention … is irreparably harmful to children.”

…And while they’ve been lauded by colleagues and friends, there are two things McPherson and Allen say haven’t happened since they wrote their first letter to Congress.

The doctors haven’t been asked to inspect any family detention facilities again.

And the government’s family detention policies haven’t changed.

…In budget requests, officials have repeatedly outlined plans to increase family detention capacity. The White House’s proposed 2020 budget includes a plan to expand capacity to 10,000 family detention beds, a request that would quadruple the number of beds currently funded.

…”The practice of detaining children and families is no longer an issue of policy dispute,” they wrote in their March letter to Congress. “It is a willful policy that knowingly inflicts serious harm to children, including risk of death.”

The doctors say the problems detailed in their letters illustrate how difficult it is to provide care to vulnerable children in relatively small detention facilities.

“Now you take that, and you try to rapidly upscale it. This is going to be a disaster,” Allen says.

…Because of policy decisions, Allen says, children and families are placed in confinement first, with appropriate triage and medical care occurring later.

“That’s exactly the wrong way to do it,” he says. “As doctors, we say, triage them, make sure they’re safe, make sure they’re healthy, and then put them through the process of asylum.”

… “Our goal is to protect children. But if we fail them, we sure as hell want to leave a written record for history that documents who is notified of an impending harm to children — and who did nothing about it.”

Whistleblower doctors decry immigrant family detention – CNN

sigh…